The heir to the keeper
by Star Polaris
Summary: AU. On the way to Shipwreck cove Jack tries to overcome the deep scars the locker left on his mind, but he will not manage on his own. Luckily he is the son of the Keeper of the Code, and help is just around the corner. He just has to ask for it.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine_

**Chapter 1**

Captain Jack Sparrow sat quietly in his cabin on board of his ship, the Black Pearl. He had been sitting there for nearly two days now, an untouched bottle of rum swinging lazily from his hand and his gaze lost in the dim light of the cabin. He ignored the shouts and sounds coming from deck. Even the sound of Barbossa shouting orders from his place at the helm didn't make him flinch at the moment. It had been just five days since the others had rescued him from the locker and they made it back to the real world. Five days of pretending he hadn't changed, that the locker had left him untouched. Five days of fighting with Barbossa for command over his ship. Five days avoiding Elisabeth who did feel the need to incessantly apologize to him. Five days of pretending he didn't wish to go to Shipwreck Cove when truthfully it was about the only place where he wanted to be at the moment.

For the three first days Jack had pretended that everything was alright, he had taken turns at the helm, he had ordered his crew around, he had fought with Barbossa and he had bantered back and forth with Gibbs and William. But his carefree mask was crumbling. Hour after hour, he tried to keep himself together, he tried to keep himself in the now, not allowing his mind to slip back into the locker. On the fourth day he had given up pretending. He had just locked himself in his cabin and allowed Barbossa to take command of the ship. He felt there was little danger in it at this time. Their destination was clear. Barbossa was the one who insisted the most on it. And there was hardly a chance that he would be marooned along the way, since he was needed for the court. Sure in the knowledge that things couldn't really go wrong in the next few days, Jack locked himself up in his cabin, refusing to let anyone get in. A few people had tried the first day, even if it was just to bring him food, but he had sent them away with a few curt words. He was not hungry. He had tried to sleep a few times, as he was feeling exhausted, but every time he closed his eyes he had found himself in the locker. So here he was. He had barely slept in three days, he had not eaten in two and not even the unopened bottle of rum appealed to him.

His quiet contemplation was broken by a firm knock on his door. Jack slightly moved his head towards the locked door, but otherwise he remained motionless.

"Captain!"

Gibbs then. The man was certainly persistent. This was the fifth time in the last two days that he had tried to get him to come out. He probably was the only one aboard the ship who Jack considered a friend. He briefly wondered if that was enough to get him to move and answer, but in the end his sluggish mind was too slow. With a soft click, the door was unlocked from the outside. Jack frowned, wondering how Gibbs had managed to get hold of a key to his cabin. But then he remembered that the man was his first mate, and as such he had a key to every door in the Pearl, including his cabin. Jack idly noted that he would have to change that at some point, before focusing his gaze on the man entering the cabin. Gibbs entered, carefully balancing a tray in his hands. As soon as he stepped through the door he closed it behind him. Jack could see a few faces trying to peer into the dimness of his rooms, but Gibbs made sure they had little chance to peek. The older man turned around as soon as the door was firmly closed. Even though there was little light filtering through the closed curtains hanging in front of the windows, Jack could distinguish the frown gracing the man's features and the set shape of his mouth. The Captain nearly let a resigned sigh escape his immobile lips. He was familiar with the expression his first mate wore. It meant there was no way the older man was leaving the cabin before he was satisfied. And Jack knew that that would only happen after he had eaten something and been put to bed. Even though Jack knew more or less what was coming, he was feeling too lethargic to really care, so he remained impassive as Gibbs put the tray on the table in front of him and immediately moved to the windows. Bright sunlight suddenly filled the cabin as the curtains were yanked open and the windows opened a bit. Finally Jack forced himself to rouse a bit from his apathy.

"I actually prefer those curtains closed."

Gibbs frowned towards him but ignored his statement. The older man moved to his desk and crossed his arms, adopting a firm position in front of his captain.

"And I actually preferred it when you were up there captaining this ship."

Jack closed his eyes tiredly. The man had a point, he should be out there. Letting Barbossa take over command was not a good idea, but at the moment he simply couldn't do anything about it. He needed time to deal with everything that had happened. The captain missed the worried expression that crossed his first mate's face, because it was gone as soon as he opened his eyes again.

"I know, Josh, I know. But I can't right now."

Those words worried Gibbs even more even though he didn't allow any emotion cross his face. Jack Sparrow admitting he was not able to captain his ship was about the worst sign of how the man was doing.

"Maybe you can't right now, but we will need you there as soon as possible. The crew is not very happy with Barbossa taking over command. Even Pintel and Raggeti are muttering that he's taking too many liberties. We need you out there Captain. And I think the first step is eating. You will do no one any good if you starve yourself."

Jack though didn't make any move to reach for the tray. The only sign that he was even listening was the soft frown that now crossed his face. So, the crew was not happy with Barbossa? That was good news for him, of course, because it meant less chance of mutiny in the future. On the other hand he didn't understand why. Even though he would never admit it out loud, Barbossa was a good captain. So, something had to be wrong. Maybe he really should go out there and check what was going on. Decision made, the captain stood up in a swift move, only to crumble to the floor before he had even taken a step.

"Jack!"

Gibbs hurried around the table and knelt next to his Captain, who was at the moment resting his weight on his knees and holding his spinning head with a hand.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy."

"Like hell you are. You, my friend, are going to bed right now. You're going to eat, even if I have to force feed you, and then you're going to sleep."

Before Jack could argue, he found his left arm thrown over Gibbs' shoulders and he was dragged across the room to his bunk. Knowing that he was just too exhausted to fight, Jack allowed the older man to push back the covers of his bed and to settle him between them. In less than five minutes, the captain was resting against his pillows, boots neatly tucked on one side of his bunk and the tray of food over his knees.

Gibbs crossed his arms again and waited till Jack glanced at him before talking.

"Now lad, you're going to eat this while I go get something from Cotton to get you to sleep. If by the time I'm back you have not eaten at least half of what's on that tray, I'm going to get William in here so that he can help me feed you. Got it?"

Jack frowned.

"I don't want to take anything to sleep. If something happens…"

Gibbs cut him off before he had the chance to finish. "Captain, if something happens right now I'll lock you up in this cabin myself. You would get yourself killed at the moment, and that will not change unless you get a good night's rest. Tell me honestly, will you sleep if I don't drug you?"

Jack rolled his eyes.

"We're pirates, Josh, we don't do honest."

Gibbs snorted and turned around. "I'll take that as a no then. Now eat."

The older man left the room, softly closing the door after him. He sighed when he saw a few men standing there waiting for him, frowns covering most faces. William, who had been standing closest to the door, was the first one to speak.

"How is he doing?"

"Not good. I don't think I've ever seen him so listless. Not even after years chasing after the Pearl. It's as if Jack Sparrow is not in there anymore and there is only a shell remaining."

The men winced and looked at each other in worry. Raggeti stepped forward slightly. "Do you think he is going to be alright?"

Gibbs wished more than anything to say yes, but truthfully he was not sure. "I hope so, lad. Anyway, we need to get him at least back on his feet. Cotton." The mute man nodded to him. "I need you to go to the galley and prepare some of your tea. Put a bit of laudanum in it. Jack looks like he hasn't slept in days and he basically admitted he's not going to do so without help. Everyone else get moving. Standing around here is not going to help anyone." Silently the men started to disperse. Gibbs though put a hand on William's arm to get him to stay. The younger man looked at him curiously.

"Stay around lad, I may need your help. The Captain's being stubborn and he's refusing to eat."

Will nodded and resumed his place against the door as Gibbs entered the cabin again. He was glad Elisabeth was not around at the moment. She had been feeling worse and worse about what she had done. He didn't know himself how to feel about it. For such a long time he had been feeling betrayed, thinking his fiancée had feelings for the pirate captain. Knowing the truth now left him feeling ambivalent about her. On one hand he was relieved knowing she didn't love Jack. On the other hand he could not reconcile his Elisabeth with the ruthless woman who had left a friend to die just to save herself. Because despite what she said, about saving all of them, the truth was that if she had asked anyone else about their opinion no one would have agreed to leave Jack behind. They all owed the captain too much to even consider it. Will could admit to himself that he had not been a good friend to the older man. He had always demanded things of him, and had given little back. Of course, he had saved him from the gallows, but it didn't seem enough.

His musings were interrupted when Cotton came back with a steaming cup of tea. The mute man nodded to him before knocking on the closed door. Gibbs' firm voice bade him to enter and the sailor quickly did as ordered. A few minutes later the two men left the room, Cotton carrying the empty tray and empty cup.

"He's sleeping then?"

Gibbs turned slightly towards the young man and nodded a worried expression still clear on his face.

"Yes, he should be out of it for several hours. We'll see how he's doing then. Maybe I can get him to come out when he can actually stand on his feet without getting dizzy."

Will nodded and stood straight. "When will we be arriving at Shipwreck cove? Will he be up for the meeting?"

Gibbs shrugged. "It's still a few days away, so maybe. But in the end it won't matter whether he's ready or not. The nine pirate lords are needed for the court and he is one of them."

The blacksmith nodded in understanding. He had been shocked when Gibbs had told them about the pirate lords. He never would have thought that pirates, who loved freedom so much, could have some kind of government. And then that mad Jack Sparrow was part of said government. He still had a hard time reconciling that thought. But when he had quietly voice such doubts in front of the other men he had been surprised. Most sailors had just shrugged; they hardly cared about who their lord was as long as they were left alone. Gibbs and Barbossa though had shot him amused looks. The old captain had shaken his head and just stated: "The only things you know about Jack Sparrow are what he wants you to know. Try to look behind his mask and you will be surprised."

Gibbs had just smiled at that and refused to add anything to it when William had questioned him. The young blacksmith watched as the older man left and wondered what revelations the meeting with the Brethren court would bring.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine_

**Chapter 2**.

Jack dragged his eyes open and allowed them to adjust to the dimness of the cabin. He was feeling very lethargic, a sure sign that his sleep had not been completely natural. The absence of a headache told him he had not drunk himself to oblivion, which he guessed was good. Slowly, as he woke up a bit more, memories of Gibbs and Cotton started to come to the front of his thoughts. The two men had forced him to finish all his food, despite his protests that he was not feeling hungry. And then they had plainly told him they were going to drug him so that he could sleep. What kind of pirates were they that they didn't even try to be subtle about it? Jack couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought. They probably would have sneaked past him if he had been feeling more stubborn. But the truth was that at the time the thought of a nightmare free sleep was too appealing to put up too much of a fight.

A few minutes later, when he was convinced that his senses were completely awake, the captain sat up in bed. The cabin was very dark, which probably indicated it was night. A few minutes of silent listening to the sounds outside his cabin, seemed to confirm those thoughts. Only the normal creaking and swishing of the pearl could be heard, indicating the men were probably all below decks and sleeping. For a while Jack wondered what he should do. He was still feeling tired, but the thought of going back to sleep didn't appeal to him at the moment. Going outside for a walk was tempting, but in the end the night watch would be there and he didn't feel up to talking to anyone. Rum had always been a good choice when he was bored, but he didn't know how close to shipwreck cove they were and he wanted to be sober once they reached the place. The thought of shipwreck cove lit a memory in his mind. Something he should do before reaching his childhood home.

Remembering what had happened the last time he tried to get up, Jack slowly took hold of one of the posts of his bed and heaved himself to his feet. After the moment of dizziness had passed, the captain moved towards a large chest. Sitting on the floor in front of it, he opened it carefully, trying not to make any sound. If he knew Gibbs, there would be someone on the other side of the door. Their mission was probably twofold. The one Gibbs would tell him about, namely to make sure no one disturbed him, and the one Jack assumed, which was to warn Gibbs as soon as there was any sound indicating he was awake. Not wishing to be disturbed right now, he tried to make sure no one would hear him move around. As silently as possible, Jack started to take things out of the chest. He was nearly sure that what he was looking for was nearly at the bottom. Two minutes later a small smile covered his lips as he carefully drew out a stack of clothes. After quickly putting everything except the clothes back in the chest, Jack stood up and moved back to his bunk. The clothes he had in his hands were old. He had not worn them in nearly fifteen years. Sitting on his bunk, Jack carefully ran a hand over those clothes. There were so many memories associated to them.

The first time he had worn them was when he was thirteen. He had sailed for a year as cabin boy with Armand, the Corsair. His father had insisted that if he ever wanted to become captain of his own ship he would have to go through all the steps to get there, no matter whose son he was. As a kid he was happy enough to be allowed on board of a ship for a long trip. The year with Armand had been hard but wonderful at the same time. They had sailed all over the Atlantic and the captain had shown his young protégée the many cities found all along the African coast. Jack left shipwreck cove a child and came back as a young man. His father, proud of the praise Armand had covered him with, had gifted him with a set of clothes very similar to the ones he was holding now. They were plain black, with a coat of arms sewn across the left side of his chest. The coat depicted two crossed swords and an eagle flying over them. From afar Jack knew it looked like the pirate banner. There was nothing else marring the deep blackness of the clothes, and despite Jack's preference for colors he couldn't have been prouder when receiving those clothes from his father. They indicated that his father, one of the most respected pirates all over the world and the keeper of the code, recognized him as his heir. From that moment on, Jack had stood next to his father, learning how he conducted meetings and judged other pirates when asked. The mission of the keeper was not only to protect the code but also to solve problems when pirates didn't want to just kill each other. As a kid Jack had been surprised at the amount of requests his father received. He had thought pirate captains would just solve the problems by themselves. But over the years he had come to understand that not everything could be solved by a few shots.

The happiness though didn't last long. After five years of going through pirate ships and working in all positions he felt he was ready for his own ship. His father though disagreed. That had led to frequent arguments and in the end Jack had left the only home he had ever known. Years later, he went back. He had captained two ships, he had seen many things, and he felt he needed to settle things with his father, even if it was only for his own peace of mind. Because in the end his father had been right, he had not been ready to take command of a ship, and he had lost the Pearl because of it. The meeting had been one of the most difficult things Jack had had to go through. Never once did his father say: "I told you so". He had just listened to his son, accepted him back in his home, and offered him back his place as heir, which had remained empty all those years. But the disappointment Jack could read in his gaze had hurt and the younger man had been unable stand at his father's side again, feeling unworthy of the position. He had never worn those clothes again.

Jack was startled out of his thoughts when the door to his cabin opened silently. The hand that had been fisted in the black shirt still resting on his lap relaxed as the man directed his gaze towards the sailor entering his cabin. Raggeti stopped in his tracks when he saw that his captain was not only awake but also out of bed.

"Captain!" Jack just raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should reprimand the man for just entering his cabin without knocking. But the sailor didn't give him the chance. "You're awake! I'm going to warn Mr. Gibbs."

Jack sighed as the other man hurried out of the room. The light coming from the now half open door indicated he had been sitting there for a few hours lost in memories. Standing up, he carefully put his clothes on top of the chest and moved to the table. He took a seat just as Mr. Gibbs hurried in, closing the door behind him. Raising his head to the older man, Jack leaned back against his chair, his face once again impassive.

"Captain, how are you feeling?"

Jack just nodded. "How long have I been sleeping?"

Gibbs shifted. "Nearly two days."

The captain's face didn't show his surprise, but inside he wondered how he could still be feeling tired after sleeping for so long. "How long will it be till we reach Shipwreck cove?"

The older man shifted again, he could not help feeling as if he was talking to a stranger. This emotionless man was nothing like the captain he was used to, and he didn't like the change at all. "If the weather doesn't turn on us we'll be there in two more days." When the captain didn't say anything more, Gibbs changed the topic. "You should eat. Will you come down to the galley?"

Jack quickly shook his head. His first instinct was to tell Gibbs he was not hungry, but considering that had not worked the last time, he went for the lesser evil. "Get someone to bring me a tray." Gibbs sighed a disappointed that he would not get Jack out of his cabin so easily. Before he was able to leave the cabin to comply with the captain's request, he was called back.

"Mr. Gibbs." Jack waited till the man was facing him again. "Please tell the men I do not appreciate them barging in here without knocking." The older man winced. Jack's voice held a small edge and he knew he was being very serious. Before he could reply though, the other man spoke again. "And get someone to bring me some warm water."

"Aye."

Jack watched as the man hurried out of his cabin and firmly closed the door behind him. His gaze returned to the clothes he had been holding before. Two days and he would be back home. And this time he would go back as heir. He was heir to the keeper of the code, pirate lord of the Caribbean seas and member of the prestigious Teague family. Last time he had gone back to the cove his pride had kept him from resuming his place at his father's side. Now he was a mess. He came back with his ship, but he was scarred and he didn't know if he would be able to survive the meeting of the court if he didn't have the protection his father could give him. His pride once again reared his head, it rankled that he had to admit to needing help. But it didn't matter; his pride would have to shut up for once. His sense of survival had always been stronger anyway.

Two hours later Jack had forced down the food Gibbs had brought and once the man had left he had set to clean himself up. He had shaven off his beard without a care and he started the slow process of untangling his hair. It was slow work, as some of the trinkets had been in there for years, but Jack refused to just cut everything off. He was just untangling the last of his braids when someone knocked on his door. Frowning Jack shook his hair, letting it fall around his shoulders freely.

"Come in."

He heard the door open and he observed through the mirror as two men entered the cabin, carrying a large wash basin. He saw them pause just inside the room as they took in their captain's form.

"Leave the water in front of the bed."

Pintel, who had been one of the men carrying the basin, shook himself and forced his companion to move. They silently placed the water where the captain had ordered. Pintel then shooed the other sailor out before turning to his captain. He saw that Jack was observing him through the mirror.

"Do you need anything else Captain Jack?"

Sparrow remained motionless for a long moment, observing the other man. He had known Pintel for a very long time. The other sailor had also grown up in Shipwreck cove and he had sailed under his father's command for many years until Captain Teague retired of active pirating. He had lost contact with him during a few years, until he had boarded the Pearl with Barbossa the year that the mutiny happened. The man may never have been a friend to him, but there was something he knew about him. He was loyal to his father. Even above Barbossa.

"Mr. Gibbs told me we were two days away from Shipwreck cove. Do you think Mr. Cotton's parrot will be able to take a message across to the cove?"

Pintel blinked, it was not the first time they had used the parrot as messenger, but usually Jack was the most skeptical about it. Thinking the bird just got rid of the message along the way.

"I guess so, Captain, it's not so far away. Early tomorrow morning we should see the devil's passage already. You know it will take us nearly a day to cross it."

Jack tensed. That passage was extremely dangerous. Hundreds of ships had been shipwrecked because of the hidden reefs and rocks there.

"How many of the men on board have done the crossing through the devil's passage Pintel?"

The other man winced and looked down knowing his answer would not please the Captain. "As far as I know, just you and me, Jack. Maybe some of Sao Fengs men and maybe Gibbs have crossed it."

Jack shook his head. "Gibbs hasn't. And Sao Feng has never been fond of leaving the waters of Singapore, so that's also unlikely. What about Barbossa?"

Pintel was already shaking his head. "Not as far as I know, he never did while I sailed with him."

That meant that Hector had not been to Shipwreck cove in 15 years, if ever. That was no good. Jack sighed and passed a hand through his loose hair. "Go see whether you can borrow Mr. Cotton's parrot."

Pintel nodded and hurried out of the room. Jack turned his attention to his hair. After all he would need to get out of his cabin before they reached the cove, and he was not pleased about it.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine_

**Chapter 3**

Gibbs was shouting orders, stalking around deck. Everyone was tense and wary. The stories about the natural protections that surrounded shipwreck cove were legendary. The slightest mistake would mean the sinking of the Pearl. William and Elisabeth were standing at one side, observing the deep frown etched on Barbossa's face. Everyone could tell that the captain was not comfortable at all. Too many good sailors had lost their lives there. Legendary captains, known for their seafaring abilities had lost their ships and even their lives the first time they tried to cross the devil's passage. But they didn't have a choice. It was the only way to reach the cove where the meeting was going to be held. Raggeti stopped next to where Gibbs was observing the men.

"Everything is ready Mr. Gibbs." The older sailor nodded but didn't say anything. He was not confident they would make it. The sea was not peaceful here, rocking the ship enough to make keeping her steady difficult. "Do you think he'll be able to take us there?"

Gibbs was about to answer when Pintel joined them, shaking his head. "No, he won't."

The two men gapped at him, surprised at the hard tone in the other man's voice. "Pintel?"

"Has anyone warned Captain Jack that we're about to do the crossing?"

Gibbs shrugged. "I went to tell him before, but he was sleeping and I didn't want to disturb him."

Pintel looked at him incredulously for a minute, but then realized that Gibbs probably didn't know much about Jack's background. After all, the captain had always been very vague about his past.

Without another word and with a worried frown to where Barbossa was standing, Pintel hurried to the main cabin. As Gibbs had said, Jack was lying in his bunk, his dark hair the only thing visible from the door. Pintel, knowing there was no time for niceties, hurried inside and shook the sleeping man awake. One second the man was sleeping, the other Pintel found himself on the other end of a pistol. Having expected such a reaction, the older sailor pushed the barrel away and quickly spoke.

"Captain, we need you on deck."

Jack blinked quickly, trying to get his heart beating back to normal and trying to disperse the sleep from his eyes.

"What? What's wrong?"

Pintel pressed his lips together and stood aside as the Captain swung out of bed. He froze slightly, recognizing the black clothes now covering the younger man's lean frame. He had not thought Jack would ever dress those clothes again.

"Pintel!"

The older sailor shook himself out of his musings at his Captain's urgent voice. "Barbossa is about to attempt the crossing"

Jack froze in the middle of putting one of his boots on. Dark eyes raised quickly in Pintel's direction. "What? Why did no one wake me?"

Pintel rolled his eyes. "Captain, no one thought it would be relevant. They have no reason of knowing you have sailed this passage before, remember. You're usually not very forward about your past."

Jack grumbled before standing up and taking his jacket. For an instant he considered taking his hat, but then dismissed the idea and left the cabin with Pintel hot on his tails. Pintel watched in amusement as the men working in deck froze at the sight of their Captain. Dressed in sober clothes, hair tamed in a single braid at the back of his neck and without his ever present hat, Jack looked very little like the infamous captain Sparrow. Gibbs and Raggeti, who had been wondering what Pintel was about to do, watched in shock as their captain, who had refused all their attempts to get him out of the cabin, ran past him to the helm. Even Barbossa, who had been completely focused on the approaching passage, started when a rough hand closed over the helm. He was even more surprised when he saw Jack standing next to him. No trace of amusement or jocularity was present on the other Captain's face.

"Jack?"

Dark eyes settled briefly on him before turning their attention to the passage. "Let go Hector, I'll steer us through this one."

Hector frowned, his pride warring with relief. "You think you're a better captain than me?"

Jack knew now was not the time to get into an argument so he decided for a straight answer. "No, but I've sailed through this passage before and you haven't. We have a meeting to attend to Hector, and no time to take care of a damaged ship."

Barbossa considered his words for a second before relinquishing his hold on the helm. The flat tone of voice the man had used convinced him that he was not bluffing. As Jack started to shout orders, Barbossa turned around and joined Gibbs, Pintel and Raggeti, who had been joined by William and Elizabeth. The older captain was the first to speak.

"Does he really know what he's doing?"

Gibbs and Raggetti turned to Pintel who simply nodded. "Aye. Captain Jack has sailed this passage often enough."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know about that. He never even mentioned he had been in Shipwreck cove."

Barbossa frowned. "Neither did he tell me. Just how long have you known Jack, Pintel?"

The older man just shrugged. "A very long time."

The captain though was not satisfied with the vague answer. "You must have known him before we boarded the Pearl that first time."

Pintel sighed a bit annoyed, but just nodded. There was no point in keeping it quiet anyway. "I started as cabin boy working for Jack's father. Jack had not even been born then."

Elisabeth blinked, talking for the first time. "His father? I didn't know there ever was another Captain Sparrow."

Pintel barked a soft laugh. "Of course there wasn't. Sparrow is just a name Jack called himself as a kid. It just stuck to him."

Barbossa and Gibbs, the two men who thought they knew Jack Sparrow the best, blinked at the information. They had both had their theories about where Jack came from, but they had never thought anyone knew the truth.

"So, what's his true name?"

Pintel turned to Barbossa, who had been the one to ask the question, a look of surprise on his face. "You don't know?"

Barbossa growled. "I wouldn't be asking if I knew. Would I?"

Pintel blinked, closing his mouth as a lot of things suddenly made more sense. He had always assumed that all pirate lords knew about Jack Sparrow's ancestry. The fact that Barbossa didn't know explained how he had dared to take over the Pearl, maroon the Captain and now set sail to shipwreck cove without a care in the world. The older captain didn't know how dangerous this trip would turn out to be for him, because one thing Pintel knew without a doubt was that no one touched the Keeper's heir without repercussion. Teague may not be actively into pirating anymore, but his influence was enormous and he knew that he himself depended on Jack speaking up for him to get out of this alive. Barbossa though would be another story. And maybe it was much better if he wasn't aware of what was coming after him.

"I don't think it's very relevant. I think we better pay attention to what's going on."

At that precise moment the Pearl became surrounded by shadows. They had reached the entrance of the passage. The only sound now where Jacks orders and the men's movements on the Pearl. The tension had luckily lessened by the apparent ease with which Jack commanded everyone around the Pearl.

It took several hours. Jack knew he couldn't rush things, the Pearl was a big ship and he didn't want to damage her. But they crossed safely and by the last light of day, shipwreck cove rose in front of them. Jack relaxed his grip on the helm and allowed a soft smile to cross his lips as the men around him gasped in surprise at the sight. The cove was as magnificent as always, with lights now illuminating the hundreds of ships that were part of the pirate fortress. Carefully Jack led the Pearl to a dock that stood a bit apart from the main entrance of the cove. Five ships were already docked there.

"Why are we docking here instead of in the main port?"

Jack glanced at Barbossa, now standing at his side. "This part of the cove is reserved to the nine pirate lords and to the Keeper of the Cove. I'm surprised you've never been here, Hector, being pirate lord and all."

Barbossa shrugged. "There never was the chance nor was there a reason to come here." Then he nodded to the other five ships dancing on the waves. "Does this mean we are still missing a few pirate lords?"

Jack glanced to where Barbossa pointed, once again surprised about how little the other lord knew about his associates. "We're missing Sao Feng, Mistress Ching and Joccard it seems. I guess it was to be expected that they would not have made it here yet."

Barbossa grumbled something before speaking. "We'll be staying on board the Pearl then, I don't like the feeling of this place and it's better if we don't have problems."

Jack didn't pay him any heed. For all he cared Barbossa could stay on board of the Pearl, but he would not. His eyes were now focused on a group of men walking down the docks towards the Pearl. Jack's eyes focused on the man taking the lead. While his face remained emotionless, his heart filled with warmth at the familiar form stalking towards them. At his side, he heard Pintel shift uneasily.

"Captain Teague."

Barbossa glanced at the sailor. "The keeper of the code? Which one is it?"

Pintel quickly glanced towards Jack, but when the younger captain made no move to answer he spoke. "He's the one in the middle, dressed in the red coat."

Elisabeth sighed. "He's a true legend. I grew up hearing stories about him."

The sailor nodded. "He is yes."

Pintel didn't know how to feel at the moment. He had always hold Teague in his highest regard, and he remained loyal to the man without a doubt. But he had taken part in the mutiny that could have killed Jack.

The Keeper, surrounded by four of his men, walked up the plank without even asking for permission. Every sailor on the Pearl had their attention focused on the old legend. The man though only had eyes for one person.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine_

**Chapter 4.**

Teague had been going through some of his papers absentmindedly. Three weeks ago the first of the pirate lords had come to the cove with news of the impending meeting. Teague had been aware of it though, as soon as the pirate song had been sung he had known the lords would be assembling at the cove. He had tried to keep going as usual, but the increasing number of pirates arriving at his home was disturbing his routine. His men had their hands full in trying to keep some semblance of peace, while the pirate lords tried to get a bit of his time to try and curry his favor. To say that Teague had little patience for such moves was to put it lightly. He hated all the fawning and adoration, especially since he knew any of them would kill him given half a chance.

The old pirate was sitting in his study, enjoying the start of the day with a cup of tea. He knew the peace would not last long, but he was determined to enjoy it. Suddenly a bird entered through the opened window, nearly upsetting his cup of tea. Teague looked startled at the parrot that had landed on a stack of papers and that was now looking at him intently.

"And who are you, little friend?"

The parrot ruffled his feathers and suddenly spoke. "Letter Captain, letter Captain."

Teague blinked in surprise. That was even stranger. Quickly he scanned the small parrot and located the piece of paper neatly tied to one of his legs. "I assume that if I try to get to that letter you will not bite me, will you?"

The Parrot blinked and then spoke again. "Wind in the sails."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Quickly and carefully, Teague took hold of the letter and liberated it from the bird's leg. As soon as the paper was loose, the bird shook his feathers again and took flight, leaving the same way he had arrived. The old captain shook his head ruefully, wondering where on earth the bird came from. His attention though was soon back to the letter. Turning it around, his hands froze in mid motion when he spotted the seal on the letter. His seal, the seal of the Teague family, was clearly printed on the closed letter. That could only mean the letter was from Jack. Now worried, the keeper broke the seal and quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

_Dear Father,_

_I hope this letter finds you well and that Mr. Cotton's parrot will not drop it somewhere along the way. I am sure that by now you are aware of the meeting of the court of the brethren. I am on my way to the cove, on board of the Pearl. Barbossa is with me. We expect to make it there in about two days._

_I cannot tell you everything that has happened since the last time I saw you in this small piece of paper. But I ask, as your son and heir, that you grant me sanctuary within the cove. I am not myself and I need time to get over everything that has happened. I cannot fend off the other pirate lords right now and I fear some of them may try to kill me despite the need for the meeting. Don't be alarmed Father, I'll be fine with a bit of time, and I hope I will not impose too much on your hospitality. Of course I'll understand if you do not wish me to rest within your domain, then I will just lock myself up on the Pearl till the meeting. Either way I will see you soon._

_Faithfully yours,_

_Jack_

To say that Teague was worried would be an understatement. His son had never asked for his help. Not when the East India Trading company had sunk his ship and marked him. Not when Barbossa had marooned him and left him without his ship. And not in any of the other problems Jack had managed to get himself into during the years. His son was extremely independent, and had the ability of getting in and out of trouble with nary a scratch. That he was now asking for help meant things had gone extremely wrong and he was afraid of knowing what could bring his son to ask for help in such a manner.

Shaking his head forcefully, he stood up and rushed out of his study. When Jack had written the letter they had been two days from the cove, which meant there was a good possibility they were making the crossing through the devil's throat at the moment. He only hoped that his son was well enough to lead the ship himself.

Teague stalked out of his rooms and towards the central complex of the cove. He ignored several pirate trying to get his attention, completely focused on finding his right hand man. He found him in the galley, having breakfast with other members of his former crew.

"Victor!"

All the men jumped at his shout, turning their startled gazes towards him. A burly man quickly put his mug of grog down on the table and stood up. He was not used to see such a fierce glare on the keeper's face anymore.

"Captain? Is there something wrong?"

Teague growled. "Yes, there certainly is something wrong. I just wish I knew exactly what it was." The men still sitting at the table exchanged startled looks, very little was able to ruffle that Captain's feathers these days, so anything that could bring him to this state of anxiousness had to be bad. "Jack just sent me a message, he has asked for sanctuary."

Several men jumped to their feet, shock written over all their faces. They all knew the keeper's son, most of them had even sailed with him at one point or the other, and they all knew that something had to be very wrong for the younger captain to ask for his father's help. He had not done that even as a young lad.

Teague let them process the news before starting to bark orders. "Victor, set someone on the lookout. I expect the Black Pearl to do the crossing either today or tomorrow. I want to know as soon as she arrives. Emery, get some of the women to clean up Jack's rooms. Nolan, gather some of the most trustworthy younger men, they will board the Pearl and make sure no one attempts to sail away with her. That traitor Barbossa is with Jack and I want to make sure he does not leave this place alive. We may need him for the meeting, but he will be fair game as soon as it's over."

Then the man turned around sharply and left the room. The men quickly stood up and hurried to comply with the Keeper's bidding.

That same evening Teague got the warning that the Pearl was approaching the docks. He quickly gathered Victor and three of his most faithful men, including Daniel, one of the best doctors the cove had. Together they hurried down to the docks, where the Pearl was just being tied down. Teague was barely aware of the looks he received from the crew of the Black Pearl as he walked up the plank. Hi eyes quickly moved towards the helm and locked on the man leaning tiredly against it. Jack's face was pale and drawn. His eyes were dull and his hands hung limply at his sides. No emotion seemed to cross the normally animated face, filling Teague with dread. There was something really wrong with his son. His scrutiny was broken when an older man with a large hat stepped forward till he was standing next to Jack.

"So you are Captain Edward Teague, it's an honor to finally meet you Keeper."

The older pirate glanced over him briefly, assuming correctly that the man was the other pirate lord.

"The pleasure is all yours, Captain Barbossa. I do not readily deal with mutineers. Any pirate unable to get his own ship through other means than stealing from his own brethren does not deserve my consideration. Be happy that the court has been summoned and I do not have the time to look for a replacement for you, else you would be dead."

Barbossa took a step back, shocked at the cold voice the man had used. He had never met Teague before, so he was quite surprised at the level of animosity coming from the other man. Before he could decide whether he should remain silent or call on the other man's threat, Teague continued speaking.

"I suggest you remain on the Pearl till the time of the meeting. I will have some of my men aboard the ship in a few minutes to make sure everything remains peaceful."

Barbossa stood up straight not liking the implications of those words at all. "You may be the keeper of the code, Captain Teague, but you cannot do anything on board this ship. Your men are not welcome here."

Teague's dark gaze flashed. "That is not your decision to make Barbossa. You are not Captain of the Black Pearl. Attempt to fight me and I'll just lock you in the brig and be done with it." The keeper paused, as if in thought. "I should be doing that anyway. But there are more important things to take care of first."

Barbossa gaped at the man for a few seconds before rounding on to Jack, who had remained uncharacteristically silent the whole time. "And are you not going to say anything? It seems the Keeper does consider this your ship."

Jacks emotionless face didn't change at the obvious jibe. "The Pearl is my ship, and you know it as well as anyone here. Captain Teague's men are welcome on board. I assume the crew will want to take turns to visit the cove, and I prefer to have the extra protection the keeper can offer us."

The older captain swelled with indignation. "Our men can take care of it!"

"We barely have any men, Hector. Most of the crew here belongs to Sao Feng, they will be off as soon as you turn your back on them. That leaves us with at most six trustworthy men to mind the ship for several more days. Not the odds I would like to have considering this place is crawling with pirates."

Teague watched the exchange with a frown. Jack had always had a temper, and he knew that some of the comments Barbossa had thrown should have been enough to rile the younger man up. But he had remained impassive, as if they were discussing something irrelevant.

Barbossa was about to reply, but Teague didn't give him the chance. "Enough. My men will be here in a few minutes and that's it." Then he turned to Jack. "I assume you'll be staying with me?"

Jack felt all the eyes move to him, he could feel their curious and confused glances, but he ignored them. He straightened, fighting the slight dizziness invading his senses. "Of course."

Everyone watched as Jack walked down the stairs slowly and approached the Keeper of the code. As soon as Jack was standing at his side, Teague wrapped an arm around his shoulders, turned them around and started walking back to the plank, his men surrounding him and Jack. Everyone watched as the group of five men left the Pearl, confused about their Captain just leaving with the legendary Keeper. Barbossa for his part was fuming.

"Who on earth does that man think he is?"

Pintel pressed his lips together, guessing that if he didn't say anything they would find out sooner or latter. "He's Jack's father."

Everyone froze and turned to watch Pintel with incredulous expressions. The older pirate could see many different emotions crossing their faces. From Gibbs awed surprise to Barbossa's horrified countenance.

Barbossa's face lost all color, his mind quickly catching the implications of those words. "He is what? Please tell me this is one of your jockes, Pintel."

Pintel shook his head somberly. "Jack is the Heir of the Keeper. Teague is his father. I thought you knew. I was a bit surprised you were reckless enough to sail to this place without taking precautions. Teague is not known for being very forgiving and you kind of nearly killed his only son and heir." Then he turned his gaze to where the men had disappeared. "He was more restrained than I expected him to be. I thought that, at the very least, we would be locked up somewhere in the cove by now, awaiting trial for crimes against the keeper and his heir."

Barbossa knew then that he was doomed. He may not have known Teague personally, but he knew the stories going around by heart. He would have to get out of here quickly, else he was a dead man. He was just considering ordering the men to set sail when he noticed that the ship was now nearly empty. As Jack had predicted, Sao Feng's men had left. And even worse, the men Teague had said would come to watch the Pearl were already approaching the ship. They were now trapped in this place till the meeting took place. A soft sound startled the old captain from his musings. Turning around, he saw that Elisabeth was sitting down on deck, pale as a sheet. William was standing next to her, a grim expression on his face.

"What am I going to do?" The girl's soft voice drew all their attention. "You only marooned him, but I actually did kill Jack."

Pintel grimaced. "I suggest you do not talk about that where other people can hear you. There is still the chance the Captain will not mention that little fact, poppet."

"And if he does?"

Pintel pressed his lips together and turned around to face the cove again. "Just pray that he doesn't."

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters_

**Chapter 5**

No one spoke as Teague led the way back to main part of the cove where his office and private rooms were. All the men were trying to keep their eyes from the silent man walking next to the Keeper. They had all known Jack well as a child, and they were having trouble recognizing the silent, taciturn man that was now walking with them. The old Jack would have been telling them all about his adventures by now, very likely inventing more than half of them. This time though, the younger pirate had barely uttered a word. The walk was short. A few minutes later they had made it back to the Keeper's private quarters, where Jack's rooms had already been made ready. Teague dismissed all his men with a look except for Daniel and then he turned to his son. For a minute he considered demanding explanations, for he was deeply disturbed at the state the lad was in, but then he dismissed the thought. Jack had asked for time, and that was what he would give him. At least for now.

"Jack."

The younger man, who had been studying the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen, warily raised his head to face his father. "Father."

"Your room is ready, maybe you want to get settled in before Daniel examines you."

Jack glanced to the old man. He had been his father's doctor and close friend for a long time. "I'm fine."

Edward glanced at him incredulously, but he refused to argue with the boy now. "I didn't say it was up for discussion, Jackie."

The captain of the Pearl sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Then we better get it over with. I'm feeling tired and I would prefer to rest afterwards."

Both older men nodded and a few minutes later Teague was in his study while the doctor took his time examining his new patient. The Keeper glanced at his table without seeing it. His mind kept trying to piece together what was going on with his son, without much success. The last time he had seen Jack it had been nearly five years ago. At the time the lad had been trying to get his ship back. Teague had learned about what happened long before his son appeared on his doorstep. When Jack entered his office, nearly a decade after their last argument, the keeper had been expecting a plea for help. He had been shocked when the only thing he received was a heartfelt apology. He had been completely prepared to scold his son for losing a ship in such a careless manner, but faced with the genuine remorse he could see in the boy's eyes he could not utter the words. He had never expected Jack to apologize to him, to admit that he had been right. But the cocky teenager had grown into a man. And while Jack still wore a mask most of the time, Teague had been allowed to see behind it. Jack had remained with him for a few months then, doing small jobs around the cove but refusing to take back his place as the keeper's heir. Then, one morning, he had packed up, had bid his father goodbye, and he just left. That was the last time Teague had seen his son. And while he had heard rumors about Barbossa's death and that Jack had reclaimed his ship, there were still lots of things that he didn't know. That was the main drawback of living in the cove. Information was hard to get. Teague suddenly stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes in thought. Information was usually hard to get, but the cove was crawling with pirates at the moment. Surely someone would be able to give him an idea of what Jack had been doing for the last few years.

Teague left his office, telling the sailor standing guard at his door that he would be back in about one hour and that if Daniel came before him the doctor should wait.

It took the Keeper nearly half an hour to locate the man he was looking for. Allan was one of those men that did not draw attention to themselves, and for exactly that reason he was the perfect man for what Teague had in mind. Allan had been drinking quietly in one of the quietest taverns in the cove, and was a bit surprised when Teague suddenly sat in front of him.

"Captain Teague, I'm surprised to see you out and about. I thought you would be busy catching up with your son."

The Keeper sighed, of course the news about the Pearl's arrival was probably all around the cove by now. "Jack is resting. I need your help, Allan."

The unassuming man looked at the pirate captain curiously. It was hardly the first time that Teague had required his services, but he usually was just summoned to his office. That Teague was seeking him out directly meant the matter was important to the other man. "What can I do for you then?"

"I want you to find out what Jack has been up to lately." When Teague saw the surprised expression on the other man's face, he decided he better explain a bit. "Jack is acting strange. I've only been with him a couple of minutes, but it's as if the life has been sucked out of him. He's barely reacting to anything. He has asked for time to deal with his issues, and I'm inclined to give it to him for now, but I want to know what has brought him to such a state."

Allan nodded, suddenly understanding the shadows present in the other man's eyes. "I'll try to find out everything I can, though it may be a bit difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction. Jack has always been very proficient at embellishing his own stories."

That drew a small smile from the Keeper. "Just do your best. Several of Sao Feng's men sailed aboard the Pearl, they will probably know more than most."

Allan nodded and stood up. "I'll get back to you tomorrow morning."

Teague nodded and watched as the other man left the tavern, probably heading to the more crowded establishments to start with his information gathering. For a moment he considered getting a bottle of rum for himself, but then he stood up, dismissing the thought. Daniel would probably have finished with Jack and he wanted to know what his thoughts were.

As expected, Daniel was already sitting in his office when he made it back twenty minutes later.

"Ah, doc. How is Jack doing?"

The old man, who had stood up when the Keeper entered, sat back down again. "Not too badly, physically speaking at least. He is not suffering from any physical injuries. He admits that he has had problems sleeping lately, which I could tell just by looking at him, but he has refused to tell me what is disturbing his sleep. He is also not hungry, but it seems his first mate started to force the matter a couple of days ago. I recommend that you make sure he eats. What worries me the most is his apathy. You and I both know that Jack has always had a cheerful disposition, he's the eternal optimist, but all that seems to have disappeared. The whole time I was examining him I had the feeling he was not really there. When I tried to ask what he was thinking about, he just looked at me and told me he was just tired." Daniel shook his head. "I can do little about this Edward. I just recommend that you watch him, make sure he eats and sleeps. I don't think right now you'll get him to talk, but maybe you can make sure he is busy. I have the feeling that, given the chance, he will lock himself in his room and let everything pass him by."

Teague sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had half been hoping that his son was just hiding some kind of physical injury. He at least knew how to deal with that. But it seemed this was not going to be so easy.

"Thank you Daniel. I'll take your advice, as always."

The doctor nodded and stood up, ready to call it a day. Before he left the office though, he turned to regard the keeper. "If you want another advice, talk to Jack's first mate."

Teague blinked, not having thought on that. "Do you know what his name is?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, but it shouldn't be hard to figure out, Jack said there were only a handful of his men left on the Pearl. Or you can always ask Pintel."

The keeper blinked. "Pintel?"

Daniel laughed softly. "He was on the Pearl, didn't you notice?"

Edward sighed and shook his head. "No, I didn't, but I'll have a chat with them, see what they can tell me."

The doctor nodded and opened the door, ready to leave. "I'll come back in a few days, to see how he's doing. Let me know if you need anything."

With a last greeting, the Keeper watched as the other man left the office. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, he decided it was time to talk to his son. Locking up the office for the night, he bid goodnight to the sailor posted at his office's doors and walked the few steps that separated his office from his private rooms. The front room was dark, not a flicker of light illuminating the place. He silently made his way in the darkness to his son's room. He quietly opened the door, expecting to see a lump occupying Jack's bed. He was a bit surprised when the moonlight shining in the room revealed that the bed was still unoccupied. At a first glance he was unable to locate Jack. Frowning, he was about to leave the room, thinking his son had left. Then a small rustling drew his attention to a shadowed corner in the room. His eyes had now adapted enough to the dimness to recognize Jack's shape sitting in a chair there.

"Jackie?" Teague saw his son jerk in surprise and move his head slightly so he was looking at him. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

The younger man canted his head, as if meditating the answer. "It's comforting."

The Keeper of the Code frowned. As far as he knew, Jack had always preferred sunny places. Sun, sea and wind, those were the things Jack had claimed to love. Sighing, the older man walked over to the bed and sat down so that he was facing the boy.

"What's going on Jack? You are not yourself, what has happened?"

Teague watched as his son closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "Not tonight, please, I just want to rest."

The older Captain pressed his lips together, but remembering his earlier decision to give his son the time he needed, he let the matter go. Instead he stood up and motioned towards the bed. "You would rest better lying down."

Jack grimaced. "I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep."

"You surely won't while sitting there. But I guess you're old enough to get yourself to bed. So, if there's nothing you want to talk about, I'll retire for the night."

Teague had nearly left the room when Jack spoke softly. "Father?" The Keeper turned slightly, indicating he had heard him. "Thank you for letting me stay here and for giving me sanctuary."

Edward shook his head. "Jack, this is your home. You know that. You are my son and heir, no matter what happens, you will always be welcome here."

The younger man nodded and hunched in his seat, moving his arms around his stomach so that he was hugging himself. "Yes, I guess I know."

"Try to get some sleep Jack."

"Goodnight Father."

Jack closed his eyes as he heard his father close the door behind him. He heard the older man move around for a few minutes before complete silence filled his senses. Taking a deep breath he started to relax slightly for what seemed like the first time in days. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was happy not to be aboard the Pearl at the moment. While in the locker, the ship had become a part of his imprisonment, and while sailing on her was different than being stuck in a desert, he still had too strong associations between the Pearl and the locker. Shipwreck cove was as far as the locker as you could get. His room was small and sparsely furnished. It contained a comfortable bed, which was located just under the only window the room possessed. A small desk located on the opposite side of the room, was filled with numerous trinkets he had collected during his first years sailing the seas. He was now occupying the only available chair, which was located just between the desk and the wall. A think, worn carpet covered the wooden floor and gave the space some warmth. It may not be as lavish as his cabin at the Pearl, but it was comfortable. Once again he paid attention to the silence. It felt good to hear the silence. In the locker he had always been surrounded by the other Jacks. He didn't know if it had been a fragment of his imagination or the effect the locker had on him, but it felt great not having anyone talking his ear off.

Without noticing, Jack relaxed further into the chair and his breath deepened. Within a few minutes he was deeply asleep. Unluckily, his relaxed state didn't last very long. His dreams took him once again back to his last moments before dying. Once he had liberated his hands from the shackles and realized he was going to die he had decided to face his death with courage. He would go down with his beloved Pearl. But inside he was terrified. Who wouldn't be when faced with an enormous beast with hundreds of teeth and a determination to eat you. Luckily the Kraken hadn't played about, it had been a moment. One moment of incredible pain as his bones were crushed by the Kraken's terrible strength, and then nothing. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but when he finally got his sense of self back, he was in the locker, with miles and miles of burning desert surrounding him and the Pearl. But now, in his restless dreams that instant in which he died was repeating itself again and again, the remembrance of pain was enough to steal his breath and make him shake in fear. Jack started to move around, his arms curling around his head to try and protect his most vulnerable part, but it was impossible. With a jerk, the Captain came awake. His arms flailed around knocking a vase that had been resting on the table to the floor, where it broke in hundreds of little pieces. The sound of the breaking glass shot through the silent rooms, waking Teague from his sleep. The Keeper was instantly awake, his hand resting under his pillow curled around the loaded pistol he always kept there. It took him a few instants to remember that he was not alone in his quarters and that his son was in the room across from his. When that realization came to him, he quickly shot out of bed and hurried to the lad's room. Even in the darkness he was able to see that Jack was now kneeling on the floor, shaking from head to toe. His labored breathing clearly resounding in the otherwise silent room. The Keeper took a few moments to light a few candles across the room before approaching his son.

"Jackie?" Teague knelt next to his son, careful to avoid the shards of glass littering the floor. Putting a hand on the other man's shoulder, the keeper gently shook him, trying to get his attention. "What's wrong Jack?"

The Captain of the Pearl shook his head, trying to get his breathing and trembling under control. "Nothing."

The older man snorted. "This does not look like nothing, Jackie."

"Just a nightmare, I fell asleep, I shouldn't have done that."

Teague quietly helped the younger man stand up, and then tugged him toward the bed, despite Jack's resistance. "You can hardly spend the rest of your life awake, Jack. Daniel told me you were exhausted and it's no wonder if you are refusing to rest."

His breathing finally under control, the younger man snorted. "I would love to rest, but my mind just keeps replaying that horrible moment."

Teague watched as his son fisted his hands in an effort to stop their trembling. Now he was even more intrigued on what had happened. He was sure Jack had seen plenty of horrible things in his life, he was not sure he wanted to find out what had rattled him to such an extent. But he didn't think it would be wise to press the matter right now, especially not if he wanted Jack to relax. Following that line of thought, he stood up. "Get into bed, I think I know of a way to help you go back to sleep."

Jack shot him a look. For the first time that day, his eyes were filled with a bit of humor. "You're not going to sing me a lullaby, are you? Because father or not, I believe I'm too old for that."

Teague rolled his eyes, inwardly relieved to see that small spark in his son's dark eyes. "Hardly, that would bring you even more nightmares. I'll be back in a minute."

As promised, Teague was back not even five minutes later. This time he was carrying a small box in his hand. He sat down on the bed, next to Jack, who was by then lying against a mountain of pillows.

Opening the box, he took out a small sphere. Jack watched entranced as the light coming from the candles danced over the smooth form of the ball, sending sparks of light across the room. "What's that?"

Teague smiled and handed the sphere to his son. "This is used by some voodoo priests for relaxation. An old friend of your mother gave it to us on our wedding day. I've tried many times to find out the material from which it was polished, but I've not been successful so far. After your mother died, I used it often and it was about the only thing that helped me keep my mind then."

Jack blinked up at him. "I never knew that."

Edward shook his head, a small smile gracing his lips. "You were never meant to know lad. You had a hard enough time dealing with it. You didn't need to know that I was falling apart."

Jack frowned, trying to remember those horrible days. His mother had fallen ill quite suddenly. He remembered his father shouting at Daniel that he had to get her better. When the doctor had said that that was impossible, Teague had taken his wife and son on his ship and started to sail from village to village in search for a cure. Jack had only been eight at the time, but it was one of the only times he could remember in which he had not enjoyed his time on his father's ship. Teague had been beside himself with worry and took it out on nearly everyone crossing his path. His crew, normally happy to serve under the pirate captain, had been close to mutiny by the time his mother died. Jack had also tried to make himself scarce. He had spent many hours trying to make his mother feel better and trying to avoid his father. After his mother was gone, the boy continued to avoid his father, who had then summed himself into a deep depression. He remembered that at the time, Victor, who had already been his father's first mate, had taken over command of the ship while his father locked himself in his cabin. It took nearly two weeks for things to get back to normal. Jack remembered how terrified he had felt when Victor had told him his father wished to see him. He had not seen the man since they had buried his mother at sea. But to his great relief, his father was more like his normal self. He just asked him how he was doing and within minutes Jack was telling him everything that had been going on.

Jack turned the small ball over in his hands, becoming once again entranced by the shards of light. It was curious how such a small thing could emit so many different shapes and colors. Just turning the sphere this or that way was enough to create thousands of different color combinations.

Teague watched with a small smile as Jack became lost in the depths of the ball. Within minutes, his eyes had closed and his breathing eased back to sleep. Carefully, the older man rescued the sphere from Jacks relaxed hand and put it back in the box. Yawning, he stood up. It was time to get back to sleep. Tomorrow morning he had meetings with several pirates and he needed to be alert for them. He only hoped Jack would be able to sleep the night through.

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters_

**Chapter 6**

Teague was sitting in the main court room. This would be the place where the court of the brethren would meet as soon as all the Lords arrived. In the mean time it was used as a place where the keeper attended the pirates that came to him for advice and to solve disputes. He had been there since early that morning. With the increasing number of pirates wandering around the cove, the number of problems had increased notably, demanding more and more of his time. As he listened to the two pirates arguing in front of him about who should pay for what they had drunk in the tavern the night before, he really had to wonder why he was wasting his time. If it was up to him he would just shot both parties and have it done with, but sadly enough the pair would just be replaced by the next petition of help.

His mind drifted to the morning, before he had made his way to the court room. He had been pleased to see his son still sleeping peacefully, no sign that further nightmares had disturbed his sleep. He had briefly considered waking Jack up to have breakfast with him, but then he judged that the lad needed more sleep. In the end he had called for Victor and once his first mate arrived he had told him to make sure Jack ate something before he left. Victor and Jack had always been close, with the older man playing surrogate uncle to the younger. He was sure he would be able to talk Jack into eating if necessary.

The sudden silence in the room startled him from his thoughts. Looking towards the two men, he frowned. They were looking at him with wide, startled eyes. For a moment he wondered if he had said something out loud without meaning to. Then he noticed he was not the center of their attention. Rather it was something behind him. Quickly he turned around in his seat, his hand moving to his pistol. The sight that met him left him breathless for a minute. Standing at his right side, dressed in dark clothes and with a serious expression on his face was his son. This was a sight he hadn't seen since his son had left when he was eighteen. He had thought he would never see it again.

Jack, ignoring the surprise his sudden appearance had caused, walked a bit closer to the seat his father was occupying.

"Since when do you deal with such petty disputes, Father? Surely they can work out by themselves who should pay for the rum they drank."

The two pirates, after overcoming their surprise at the sudden appearance, started to tell their problem to Jack from the start. A moment later they once again got involved in an argument of their own, making Teague sigh in exasperation. Jack shook his head and bend slightly so he could speak privately to his father.

"Have things changed that much in the last 15 years that you have to deal with things like this?"

Teague shot his son an annoyed look. "Normally not, but all my men are busy trying to keep some semblance of peace in the cove. With all the newly arrived pirates, we're having no ending problems. There are corpses being thrown to the sea nearly every day. And that is while they are watching! I cannot spare anyone right now that can get rid of nuisances like this one."

Jack shot him a quick look, a spark of humor in his eyes. "Don't tell me you're getting too old to do it yourself."

While it was good to see a bit of the old Jack coming back, that comment brought a full scowl on the Keeper's face. "Watch it Jackie." Then he turned to the still arguing men and sighed. "Truth is that if I just dismiss them, someone else will take their place. There is a queue of people that absolutely need to speak with me about one problem or the other."

Jack looked surprised for a moment. Normally audiences with the Keeper were kept to a minimum. There was always someone scanning the requests before allowing passage, not only to make sure that the requests made actually needed Teague's intervention, but also to ensure that no one dangerous had free access to the Keeper. "You even sent Sebastian away?"

Sebastian was the most competent of those scanners. He always was able to convince most people that they didn't actually need Teague's help. The Keeper grimaced. "He died about a year ago. His replacement is not as efficient and the pressure seems to be too much for him at the moment. He has given up on trying to turn the mob away and is now just keeping them controlled."

When no answered came from his son, the keeper turned slightly so he could see his face. He was dismayed to see that Jack's face was once again completely closed off and the brief moment of levity had left his eyes. He was wondering what he could have said that affected the younger man in such a way when Jack seemed to shake himself out of his strange mood. With a frown, the Captain of the Pearl returned his attention to the still arguing pair of pirates. He took a few steps till he was standing next to them and threw his arms over their shoulders, freezing them in mid sentence.

"You know mates, I have the perfect solution for you." The two men looked as if they didn't know whether to move away or just stand still and listen to the strange man. They had both recognized the crest adorning Jack's clothes, but they were unsure of witch role the man was supposed to play. Jack didn't give them the chance to react. He started moving towards the doors, forcing them to walk with him. "The only thing you need to do is go back to the tavern and drink just as much as you did yesterday. Then you." Jack shook a bit the man walking at his left. "Pay for yesterday's drinks and you." Now he shook the other man. "Pay for today's. See, problem solved."

Then he pushed them out the door. He heard the Keeper's muffled laugh behind him, but his attention was taken by the large group of pirates standing at the door, now looking at him with curious eyes. His eyes quickly scanned the mob, taking in the flushed young man standing next to a table and seemingly involved in an argument with at least three different pirates. Sighing, he turned around slightly to face his father that was watching him curiously.

"I think I'm going to help out here. I believe the lad standing over there needs my help more than you do."

Teague looked a bit startled at the suggestion. He had not thought his son would actively seek out any duties while he was here. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

Jack shrugged. "Victor basically kicked me out of your rooms and told me to make myself useful. Since you have the Pearl under control I thought I would come to see whether you needed my help for something." Pointing to the mob who was listening intently, he added. "And believe me, you do."

Then without another word he left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving a bemused Teague sitting in his seat. He was not sure what Jack did out there, but the next person that came in had a serious problem on his hands. One in which he could actually help. Two hours later he was surprised when Ian, the man who had replaced Sebastian, came in with the news that there was no one else waiting to speak with him.

Teague blinked in surprise. "What about all those people? I'm sure I didn't speak with most of them."

Ian flushed, a bright smile illuminating his young face. "Captain Sparrow spoke to them. He said you were very busy managing the cove and that if he was able to solve their problems there was no reason to bother you. He made a deal with them and told them he would allow them to come in if he was not able to convince them he had a good solution to their problem. Some men took him up on the challenge and he quickly started talking with them. It was amazing how quickly he was able to convince them. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. Some of the pirates, the ones with real problems, he directly sent to me so I could send them in to speak with you."

The Keeper, well aware of his son's silver tongue, could not help but laugh softly. "That boy can talk himself out of anything. It seems some things haven't changed after all. Where is he, by the way?"

"He told me he was going back to your rooms."

Teague nodded and stood up, ready to go after his son. Ian though stopped him. "Allan came by. He asked me to tell you to search him out at your earliest convenience. He will be around the old tavern."

The Keeper nodded in acknowledgment and then left the room. He would first go back to have lunch with his son. Then he would look for Allan.

He once again found Jack in his room, sitting in the same corner he had the night before. The younger man looked better though. The night's rest had obviously done him good.

"I believe I owe you my thanks."

Jack looked towards him startled, not having heard him coming in. The he shrugged. "It was not a big deal."

That was not completely true. It had been a bit of a struggle to keep himself centered. All those voices coming to him at once, from dozens of persons which he didn't know, nearly got to him. At times he had felt as if he was back in the locker surrounded by other Jacks. Luckily the anteroom was not brightly lit, and there were enough differences in the voices to keep him more or less centered. He had had to put up all his masks to keep his brain there, centered on the work that needed to be done. He was lucky that he could talk himself out of many things in his sleep. It had certainly come in handy when dealing with the mob and their ridiculous problems. But then he was not about to tell his father all that.

Teague didn't notice his son's absentminded thoughts and continued speaking. "I'm going to the galley to get some lunch, are you coming?"

Jack inwardly sighed. He had already spent the last few hours surrounded by morons and he had no wish to be around even more people now. But he recognized the light tone his father was using. That had not just been a request. The older man was clearly expecting him to join and he would very likely not accept a no for an answer. This was the main drawback of being back to the cove. His father could actually order him around. And he didn't even need to be very explicit about it either.

Teague watched as Jack stood up and nodded to him. Once again the boy's expression was closed off, not allowing him to guess what the other man was thinking. Either way the keeper turned around and led the way to the galley where his men usually had lunch. Jack was relieved to see there were not many pirates sitting there. As his father had told him before, they were probably around the cove keeping watch. A few men greeted Teague and looked curiously to Jack, but none of them invited them to sit down with them. The older man sat down in a far corner and Jack joined him quickly. A minute later a gruff woman set down to trays with food in front of them and two mugs filled to the brim with rum. Jack shook his head, slightly amused.

"I see things haven't changed around here."

Teague raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect them to?"

Jack shrugged. Maybe he hadn't expected things to change, just his own perception of them. The locker had changed him, he just didn't know to which extend yet. For one, he still had not felt the need to get himself drunk or to search out some female company. But that may be related to his rather despondent mood.

"You know, this is starting to get very nerve-wracking."

Jack blinked, bringing his attention back to the meal he was sharing with his father. He was rather surprised to notice he had actually been eating. "What is? We're just having lunch, I don't think there is anything stressing about it."

Teague rolled his eyes at Jack's puzzled frown. "Jack, I've tried to get you to shut up for years now. I don't think I ever succeeded in that. And now, for some reason that is still not at all clear to me, you have turned into an old, broody captain."

The younger man snorted. "I resent you of all people calling me old." Then he sobered up, his expression turning flat. "I'm sorry if I'm not being good company at the moment. If you prefer to be around someone more lively I can take the food to my room."

The Keeper frowned, that had certainly not been his intention. "No, but you'll forgive me for finding the fact that you've yet to exchange more than a few sentences with me a bit disconcerting. I was not aware that we were on bad terms."

Jack sighed. "You know we're not."

But when he didn't add anything else, Teague knew it would be up to him to find a safe topic of conversation. As the Pearl should be a safe topic and he was genuinely curious, he decided to go on that track. "So, how did you get the Back Pearl out of Barbossa's hands? I had heard something about you killing him but that is obviously not the case."

Jack's expression appeared dead for a moment, and Teague could have sworn he said something like: "Death is not such a permanent thing." But then a small smile appeared on his face and he started to tell about his adventures with William and Elisabeth.

The old keeper relaxed a bit when a shadow of the old Jack came forth during his story telling. He noticed that several of the sailors eating in the galley moved closer so that they could also listen, but he was happy that no one interrupted. He had hoped that during this time Jack would reveal something of what had happened to him, but the younger man stopped just after he escaped from Port Royal with the Pearl. When Teague gently tried to prove further, the other man got a shadowing frown on his face and just said that he had been sailing around. Obviously that was going to be the end of the story. Happy enough at having gotten his son to talk for a bit, the Keeper decided to let the matter go for now.

Jack, pleading tiredness, retired back to his rooms. After Teague watched him disappear through the doors, he turned to Victor, who suddenly appeared at his shoulder.

"How is the situation on the Pearl?"

The first mate shrugged. "Everything is calm. I went there this morning and the lads reported that Barbossa had put up a bit of a fuss, trying to kick them out, but the other members of the Pearl's crew didn't back him up. So in the end the traitor has closed himself up in his cabin. Everyone has settled down and they seem to be waiting."

"They don't want to leave the ship?"

Not that Teague particularly minded, but pirates were normal more curious about the cove and would take the chance to explore the place. "Not yet at least. Barbossa has ordered them to remain on board and it seems Jack didn't say anything one way or the other. Gibbs, the first mate, seems to be willing to wait it out for now or until he gets the chance to talk with Jack. I think he's also a bit worried about the girl."

Teague blinked. The day before he had been so focused on Jack that he had missed several things. "Girl?"

Victor nodded. "From what I gathered it's the same Elisabeth Jack was just talking about. And I would guess that the young man that doesn't leave her side would be the son of Bootstrap. Now that I know I can certainly see the similarity."

Teague nodded, and while he was curious about them, there was someone he wanted to know more about. "Gibbs. You said he was the first mate? Jack or Barbossa's?"

Victor blinked. "Jack's as far as I can ascertain. For what the boys have told me, he was the one that basically told Barbossa to shut it. The remaining crew supported him, which is why I think he must be Jack's first mate."

"And what do you think about him?"

The other man shrugged. "I have not had the chance to talk to him at all, so I cannot tell you. I can go have a chat with him if you want."

Teague shook his head. "Not yet." He stood up then. "I need to talk with Allan first, see if he can give me an idea on what is going on. Afterward I may search him out."

With a wave to the men still eating in the galley, the Keeper left the room and immediately left the central part of the cove. He quickly made his way to an older section of the cove, where few pirates were wandering around. The old tavern was one of his favorite places because of the quality of the drinks and the few pirates that usually went to the place. As expected, Allan was waiting for him in a corner of the establishment, a nearly full mug of room sitting in front of him. Teague took the time to order a drink for himself before joining the other man. Once he was sitting, it took Allan close to a minute to reluctantly raise his eyes. Teague, well used to read the silent body language of other people, knew that whatever the other man had found out could not be good.

Sighing, he leaned back against the chair. "Let's hear it then."

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters_

**Chapter 7**

Allan gulped down a bit of rum and watched the other man sitting in front of him. He wondered how Teague would react to the small bits of news he had heard. "It was quite hard to find any information at all. Sao Feng's men were not willing to say much. I tried to insist but none of them would open their mouths."

"But you found out something." Teague was quite sure about that, else he would not have been asked to meet the man here.

"Yes. Not much, mind you, but it seems that it involves Davy Jones."

Teague sat up straight at once. That was certainly not what he expected to hear. He had heard the rumors that the Flying Dutchman was now under the command of the East Indian Trading company, but he had not thought Jack had been involved in any of that. "Continue."

"The only thing I have been able to ascertain nearly for sure is that Davy Jones was after Jack and that your son was after the heart of Jones so he had something to bargain with. After that the reports vary a lot. Some say that Jack avoided the encounter completely, that he struck a deal with Jones, that he was killed by Davy Jones and yet others say that the Kraken took down the Black Pearl, killing everyone on board." Then he shrugged. "I guess we can dismiss the last two ones, because Jack and the Pearl are here. But on the other hand no one has been able to avoid Jones for long."

Teague closed his eyes. He had had his share of meetings with the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. None of them had been pleasant and that was before he was even cursed. "Do you know why Jones was after Jack?"

Allan shook his head. "No. There are not even rumors about that. Then again, Jack has kept his past very, very quiet. Only now pirates are starting to associate him with the Teague family and wondering what his relationship is with you."

The Keeper of the code nodded and remained silent for a minute, before redirecting the conversation. "I assume you have learned more things about Jack?"

Allan blinked and shrugged. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Any know friends that could tell me more?"

"I don't know if friend is the word, but the name of Gibbs kept popping up."

Teague nodded. "The first mate."

Allan smiled. "I see you've heard about him then. Yes. It seems he and Jack have known each other for a long while."

"What do you know about him?"

"He was in the Navy at one point." He had to laugh at Teague's incredulous expression. "Yes, I know, I was also surprised. But it seems he was dismissed from service for drinking. Jack took him under his wing and now the man is completely loyal to your son. He has been First mate on the Pearl since Jack regained her. Another name that came up some times was that of Ana Maria."

Teague's mouth curled into a smile. "Jackie's girl?"

Allan laughed softly. "That's what I thought too. But it seems it's not the case. She sailed with Jack for a while until he got her a ship. She's now a captain in her own right and they only meet on occasion."

"Is she here?"

The other man shrugged. "I haven't been able to find out yet."

Teague nodded. "Anyone else?"

Allan shook his head. "No one of interest. Some wenches in Tortuga, members of his crew, but it didn't sound like there was anyone else really close to Jack."

Teague frowned. That was completely uncharacteristic for his son. He had always surrounded himself with lots of friends. It had worried him, since that left him open to betrayal. He paused with that thought, his frown turning darker. Of course. Barbossa. It seems Jack had learned the lesson then, but not in a way he would have wished.

"What about Bootstrap Will? He used to sail with Jack before even Barbossa joined them."

Allan shook his head. "I heard rumors a long time ago that Barbossa had killed him."

Teague grimaced. "And what about the traitor himself?"

The other man took a distracted sip from his mug. "That's actually strange. Everyone agrees that he should be dead. The story goes that Jack did kill him before regaining command of the Black Pearl."

"Were there any witnesses?"

Allan sighed. "It's complicated. Only Jack and two citizens of Port Royal were actually there when he was killed. But afterward the Navy took his body and hung it in front of the bay, so plenty of pirates saw him swing there. Even several pirates that had known him."

Teague's gaze focused on his own mug. "Death is not such a permanent thing."

The other man looked at him surprised. "What did you say?"

The Keeper waved distractedly. "It's something Jack said when I asked about Barbossa. That death was not such a permanent thing. I dismissed it at the time as nonsense, but maybe I shouldn't have."

Allan grimaced. "I think I prefer not knowing more about that if we're going to talk about undead men. The stories about the Pearl before Jack regained her are still going around."

Teague nodded. "You're right. And Jack actually confirmed that Barbossa and his men were cursed. He just carefully avoided talking about what became of Barbossa after the curse was removed. I should have noticed that he just said he shot him. I assumed at the time that he had injured him and left him in that cursed island to die. Maybe I'll have to ask for more details about that."

Sighing the Keeper rubbed his eyes. "I guess I'll have to pay a visit to the Pearl, maybe this Gibbs will be able to help me more. Unless you think that with a bit more time you may learn more?"

Allan shrugged but his expression was dubious. "There are many stories circulating about Jack, but there are very few that are consistently told by several people at the same time. Some of the more outlandish stories may actually be true, but I don't think we'll know unless Jack is willing to share."

Teague nodded and stood up. "Keep me informed if you learn anything useful."

Allan lifted his mug in acknowledgment and watched as the older man left the tavern. He wondered whether he would ever learn the truth on what had happened.

* * *

Jack sighed in annoyance. He had once again been kicked out of his room by Victor. He could now appreciate why his father had kept him on as first mate for such a long time. He was really effective in getting what he wanted without actually putting much effort in it. Of course, the fact that the man had partially raised him also affected his own perception of him. Grumbling, he avoided a pair of drunken pirates that stepped on his path. He had considered for a while where to go to. At first he had thought on going to the Pearl, but Barbossa's presence on the ship stopped him. A fleeting thought on his own reluctance of being aboard the ship crossed his mind but he firmly dismissed it. Of course Barbossa was the only reason he was not on the Pearl right now. The second option had been to search out his father, but no one seemed to know where the Keeper had hidden himself. That left him with no one to talk with, which was alright with him, and with no place to brood, which was a bit more annoying. Finally, after stumbling on yet another pair of pirates fighting, he changed directions and headed to the outskirts to the cove, in the opposite direction of the docks. As he walked, the sounds of people diminished until they ended completely. This part of the coven was seldom frequented as it held nothing but remains of vessels that had not been adapted for habitability. Jack used to go there often as a child, he liked to explore the old ships, much to his father's exasperation. He had often gotten lost in the maze of vessels, forcing his father's men to look for him for hours sometimes.

After wandering around for a while, Jack climbed up an old mast. From that place he had a good view on the whole cove while remaining hidden from the casual observer. Looking over to the docks, he was able to distinguish the Pearl, dancing softly on the waves. She looked so different there. A memory of the locker came forward in his mind. His ship, lying motionless on the sand, himself lying under the burning sun unable to find the motivation to move. The endless Captain Sparrows stepping over him and talking as if he was not there. Jack clenched his hand into a fist and shook his head forcefully. He should not be so affected by it. There had not been anything truly horrible about his time in the locker. Only the despair that ate at him day after day, knowing that he would remain there forever. He had resigned himself to it, to the endless burning sun and the lack of any kind of company. That was probably part of the reason he was having so much trouble adapting again. His soul had died in the locker and it was still trying to convince itself that it was back to the world of the living.

Jack lost track of time, his mind caught up in the locker once again. It was getting dark when a sudden shadow landed on his bend knee. The Captain was so startled that he nearly tumbled down. Only years of practice kept him perched on top of the mast. A minute later, his tired mind focused on Mr. Cotton's parrot. Frowning, he gently tapped it on its head.

"And what are you doing here?"

The bird seemed to shake himself. "Orders, Captain."

Jack sighed. Gibbs then. It was not the first time the older man sent the bird to him when he was needed on the Pearl. He shook his leg a bit, dislodging the bird from his person. "Alright, I'm on my way."

After he watched the bird leave in the direction of the Pearl, Jack climbed down the mast and stretched. The moon was just rising from between the shadows, providing just enough light for him to make his way safely back. He walked quickly, avoiding the most crowded parts of the cove.

Everything was calm as he reached the Pearl, he would have walked up the plank onto the ship if a shadow had not suddenly disengaged itself from the darkness surrounding the ship. The hand that had automatically moved to the hilt of his cutlass, relaxed as he recognized his first mate.

"Captain."

Jack nodded. "Mr. Gibbs. Mr. Cotton's parrot said you wished to talk to me?"

The older man nodded slightly. "You left without giving us any instructions, Jack. Barbossa has ordered us to remain on board, but Pintel is starting to complain a lot. It seems he wishes to visit some old friends. The men captain Teague left on board say we're free to roam around the cove, but I'd like to have your input on what to do."

Jack shrugged slightly. "You're all free to do as you please. Captain Teague's men will take care of the Pearl, you don't have to worry about that. Barbossa should probably stay here, he'll be safer. But I assume he has enough sense to know that himself."

The last comment came with a small smirk, which relieved Gibbs quite a bit. It seemed the man was getting back to his old self. "What about Elisabeth?"

Jack's smile disappeared at once. He was not sure what to think about the young woman. He understood why she had done it. He could even admit that he may have done a similar thing if their positions had been reversed. And yet he had been betrayed by someone he had saved several times. Either way, there was one thing he knew for sure. Whatever happened with Elisabeth it was between them. He could leave Barbossa's fate to his father, he didn't mind about that, but the young woman was another thing. "I should probably talk to her and William." Looking up to the Pearl he nodded in its direction. "Can you go tell the crew they are free to visit the cove? Tell them that under no circumstances are they allowed to talk about anything regarding what has happened in the last months. And then tell William and Elisabeth to come down here."

Gibbs nodded and hurried on board. While he was gone, Jack moved closer to the ship and placed a hand on her hull. The wood was warm to his touch and if he closed his eyes he could imagine she was talking to him. A small smile danced on his lips. He and the Pearl would be alright, they just needed a bit of time to forget, and then they would be able to go on their way again.

His moment with his ship was broken when several men hurried down the plank. Jack allowed himself to remain hidden by the shadows as his crew, Pintel in the lead, left the ship and quickly headed to the central part of the cove. At this time it would not be difficult for them to find a tavern where they could drink themselves to oblivion. A minute after they had left, three pairs of steps descended the plank and stopped just in front of it. Jack studied his two young friends for a few minutes before joining them. William was looking grim, but otherwise he looked well. Elisabeth on her part had deep shadows under her eyes, and she seemed to have lost some weight. The three of them turned to him as he joined them. For a long moment none of them spoke. Jack kept his eyes on the young woman and waited patiently till she finally raised her face and returned his gaze.

The woman was the first one to break the silence. "Jack, I'm so sorry, I..."

She fell silent as the Captain raised a hand. "Please, not now Elisabeth. I need time to deal with everything. The locker did not leave me untouched, love." He looked away, his gaze moving once again to the Pearl. "I still have trouble convincing myself I'm alive again."

Tears filled Elisabeth's eyes and the flat tone of voice the Captain used. William and Gibbs looked worried but didn't say anything. Jack turned his gaze towards them once again. "Lets leave that for now. I don't think staying at the Pearl can be very pleasant at the moment with Barbossa fuming up there. There are several inns where you can rent a decent room. The cove is quite a nice place to visit. Not as dangerous as Tortuga."

William spoke for the first time. "Then you grew up here?"

Jack shot him a small smile. "Yes. I lived here till I was 18, then I moved away." Then he returned a serious gaze to Elisabeth. "The cove is not an extremely dangerous place. Teague's men make sure of it. But that also means that the Keeper knows most of what is going on around here."

Elisabeth licked her lips. "And he is your father."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I see Pintel has been spreading stories. But yes, Teague is my father, and I very strongly suggest you do not mention certain happenings, even between yourselves." His gaze turned somber. "I'm sure the three of you know exactly what I mean."

The young woman winced but nodded slightly. "Then you won't say anything to your father?"

Jack regarded her for a long moment. "Teague is a hard man Elisabeth, and he takes threats to his family very seriously. If he ever got wind of what had happened things would not turn pleasant." He paused for an instant before continuing. "I may not be very happy with you right now. We may never again call each other friends. But at one point you stood between me and a noose, I will not repay that with Teague's vengeance."

A tear rolled down Elisabeth's pale cheek. Those words made her feel even worse. She had always thought the pirate captain was shallow, that he didn't care about anyone else but himself. But once again he was proving her wrong. "You should let him have his way. I kille..."

Before she could finish the word a strong clamped over her mouth, Jack's dark eyes burning holes in her. "Never say those words here, Elisabeth. Never. The walls have ears and the shadows have eyes. Do not talk about this, even if you think you're alone. Never mention it, because should my father find out and I was not close by, you may well be dead before I could reach you."

Will looked as Jack stepped back from his fiancée, deeply disturbed by his words. "Wouldn't it then be better if you told him upfront Jack?"

The older man looked over at him. "Maybe it would, or maybe I would be signing Elisabeth's death warrant. I do not know. Do you want me to risk it?"

The younger man quickly shook his head. No, he would not risk his future wife's life on the temperament of a pirate captain. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a young boy. He ran over to them, stopping at Jack's side, where he paused for a minute to catch his breath. Then he looked up and flushed slightly as the four adults were regarding him curiously.

"Captain Sparrow, sir, the Keeper has been looking for you for a while now. He wants you to go have dinner with him."

Jack grimaced slightly, before nodding to the lad. "I'm going, go tell him I'll be joining him in a few minutes." Then he turned to his companions. "I have to go. Father is not the most patient of men. Remember what I've said, be careful. If you need me, just ask anyone wearing clothes with this emblem." He pointed to the crest adorning his shirt. "They are my father's men and they will know where to locate me." Then he turned to his first mate. "Will you make sure the two of them are settled in?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yes. You'll be alright?"

Jack smiled slightly at the concern in the other man's voice. "You worry too much. I'll search you out tomorrow, alright?"

The older man nodded and he and the two younger people watched as the captain turned around and left them standing under the Pearl's shadow.

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters_

**Chapter 8.**

Jack watched with canted head as his father restlessly paced the room. He had arrived a moment ago and the Keeper had yet to notice him. The relieved sighs of several of his father's men had already warned him that his father was likely worried about him. Seeing the older pirate pacing, his assumption was confirmed. Inwardly sighing, he knocked slightly on the door, drawing the man's attention. "I was told you wanted to have dinner?"

Teague waved his hand. "Where were you?"

Jack blinked, a bit surprised at the sharp question. For a minute he wondered whether he really had to explain himself to the other man. After all, he was a Captain in his own right and he had lived on his own for a long while. On the other hand, Teague was his father, and he knew he had been acting out of character, so he guessed a certain amount of concern was warranted. Deciding to keep his peace, he just gave an answer. "Victor kicked me out of here again. Since I couldn't find you, I wandered around the cove. Then I went to the Pearl to talk to my first mate, which is where I heard you were looking for me."

Teague's expression was still stormy. "None of my men saw you wandering around. I was worried something had happened to you."

Jack sighed. "I wanted a bit of peace and quiet, and since I could not stay here I went to the old wreckage. Not many people go there." Then he felt the need to add. "Either way, I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not eleven anymore."

Teague raised an eyebrow. "That may be the case, but you'll forgive me for worrying that right now you may not bother to defend yourself should something happen."

The younger captain felt startled. Not defend himself? Let himself be killed? His face hardened at the mere thought, his eyes glittering dangerously. There was no way he was chancing a return to the locker. After all, shipwreck cove was on the sea, therefore Jone's influence could very well reach the souls coming from this place. He was not sure, but neither was he about to risk it. His voice was sharp when he answered. "I may not be myself right now, but if you think I'd sit back and allow someone to run me through with a sword, shoot me or in any other way harm me, then you don't know me very well."

Teague was surprised at the almost fierce look his son was wearing. There was no sign of the shell of a man he had been seeing the last two days. This here was a Pirate Lord, proud, fierce and strong. "Well, I admit I'm relieved to hear that. After your plea for help, and what I've witnessed so far of your behavior, you cannot blame me for having my doubts."

Jack sighed, looking tired all at once. He wasn't sure what to say to that. "I'll be fine."

The older pirate shook his head. "You keep saying that."

The Captain of the Pearl just nodded. Yes, he kept saying that because he needed to believe it was true. Sooner or later his soul would notice that it was alive again and come back to him. Then everything would go back to what it once was.

The next few days passed peacefully. Mistress Ching arrived with a new contingency of pirates. Jack kept helping out Teague in the mornings and wandering around the most abandoned parts of the cove in the evenings. He didn't see much of his crew during that time. He met Gibbs from time to time, to learn how everyone else was doing, but he didn't feel the need to check on his crew personally. Elisabeth and William had settled in one of the less used inns, and as far as he knew they had been exploring the cove to their heart's content and staying out of trouble. Barbossa had not set foot out of the Pearl, as he had suddenly found himself without even the minimal protection from the Pearl's crew.

It was already dark, and Jack was still sitting perched on an old mast. His thoughts were back in the locker, so he didn't notice a pirate approaching his hiding place till he was nearly upon him. Frowning, the pirate Captain remained motionless. The pirate didn't seem to be looking for him, as he had now stopped and was pacing restlessly under the mast, but was otherwise not looking around. For long moments Jack observed the man. The dimness made it difficult to recognize the man's features, he could only see his shadow. He was about to dismiss the man's presence and go back to his mind wanderings when the wind brought the sound of heavy footsteps. The other pirate also seemed to notice, and stopped his pacing. Jack was soon able to distinguish a second shape. This one was extremely familiar and made him freeze in shock. He had not seen Barbossa since he left the Pearl nearly a week and a half ago. He had not expected him to leave the ship, after Teague's hostile behavior. Whatever he was up to, it could not be good. The man that had been waiting silently approached the Caspian Pirate Lord.

"Captain Barbossa, I received your letter. How can the Black Thorne help you?"

Jack's muscles' sized. The Black Thorne was an organization of assassins that could be found all over the Caribbean. They were willing to kill anyone, for the right price. He had not been aware that the organization had infiltrated Shipwreck cove. Then again, with the large number of people arriving from all over the world he should not have been surprised either. This would be a good opportunity for them to make some money. Barbossa's voice broke the silence.

"The Keeper, I've grounds to believe he wants me dead and I'm not very willing to sit still and wait for him to decide my fate. Can your organization get rid of him?"

Unseen by the two men below, Jack's expression hardened till it was a blank mask, his eyes shining dangerously at the clear threat to his father. His instincts were telling him to just shoot the two men down and be done with it, but he was aware of how the Black Thorne worked. If he shot down his link to them, he would never get the whole bunch out of shipwreck cove, and having such an organization around was not safe. Specially not for such a high profile character as his father, and even himself.

The shadowed man whistled. "You certainly have guts, captain, but do you have the money to back up such a request?"

Jack looked from his spot as the Pirate Lord took out a small, black bag and turned the contents over in his palm. He could not be sure at such a distance, but it looked like a bunch of diamants to him. The assassin though was clearly impressed by the sight as he nodded in agreement. Barbossa handed him half of the gems.

"Half now, half upon completion of the task."

The assassin nodded. "Any particular way you wish us to kill him?"

Barbossa shrugged. "I don't care, as long as he is dead before the Court starts. I know he will wait till the meeting is over to move against me."

"And any unforeseen complications we should be aware of?"

Barbossa barked a laugh. "You mean besides trying to kill the most well protected man upon this island?" He paused briefly, and then, seemingly reluctant, added. "You may want to watch out for Jack Sparrow, he is quite dangerous."

"Ah, the Keeper's heir. Yes, he's been quite the thorn at our side."

Jack's face relaxed into a grim smile. He wondered if Barbossa knew just how many assassination attempts he had survived. He had counted five in the last three years that he could attribute to the Black Thorne, but maybe there were even more he hadn't been aware of. Either way, he doubted that Barbossa's shadowy friend would tell him, after all it was a stain on their reputation. While he had been mussing, the two men had apparently concluded their business and quickly moved their separate ways.

For a long time Jack sat on his perch meditating his course of action. His first temptation was to keep everything to himself and quietly try to get rid of the organization. But that would be unwise. He could not remain at his father's side the whole time, and he was not willing to risk the older man's safety. His second thought was to just go kill Barbossa. But he knew that would not deter the Black Thorne. Plus he would not be surprised if other pirates had also contacted the organization for similar purposes. In fact, he would have to watch his steps from now on, he was also likely to be a target. With that thought in mind, he swung down. He needed to speak with Gibbs, it seemed holidays were over.

* * *

He found his first mate in a pub, still quite sober and regaling his adoring audience with a rousing story that involved rough seas, monsters and women. With a small smile, Jack stood in the shadows and listened to the older man. It took the older man nearly half an hour to finish, much to the delight of his audience. As soon as the last words left his mouth, the other pirates started to ask for another story, tempting him with a full mug of rum. Jack stepped forward then, enough so that his first mate would see him. The older man took a few seconds to notice him, but then he quickly passed the word to another pirate and quietly moved to his side. Jack turned around and led the way to a shadowed corner so that no one would easily overhear them.

"Good evening Captain."

Jack smiled slightly, leaning back against his chair. "Nice story, Mr. Gibbs, though I don't remember it happening quite that way."

The older man shrugged with an embarrassed smile on his face. "Well, you know how the lads are, Captain, they don't care so much for how accurate the story is, but rather how much blood is spilled."

Jack nodded in acknowledgment. "Indeed. Though, speaking about spilling blood, a situation has arisen."

Gibbs' face fell. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself in now, Jack?"

The younger man rolled his eyes. "Apparently, the only problem has been leaving Barbossa alive and free. Besides, I'm not the primary target this time."

Gibbs leaned back and took a long draught from his mug of rum. "Better start telling me from the start."

Nodding, Jack did just that. While listening, Gibbs was surprised at the clear, straightforward story. He had long ago given up the hope that Jack would ever clearly show his hand before all the shit hit the fan. The fact that he was being open about his thoughts now worried him. The younger man either thought that this threat was more dangerous than any others they had faced or the time in the locker had affected him much more than any of them had suspected. Thinking back on previous adventures, kraken included, Gibbs had to discard the first thought and reluctantly admit that Jack had just changed. Not that the change was bad, it would just take a bit of getting used to work with all the information for once.

"… the Black Thorne want to…"

"What?"

Jack glared at his first mate, obviously the older man had not been listening to him. "I'm not talking to myself Mr. Gibbs nor so that the chairs can amuse themselves. Would you kindly pay attention?"

Gibbs gulped and sunk a bit lower in his seat, the glare being sent his way was certainly another thing he would have to get used to. "Apologies Captain, I got lost in thought. What was that about the Black Thorne?"

"The Black Thorne has infiltrated Shipwreck cove. This in itself is worrying. I don't think I need to remind you about their assassination attempts."

Gibbs shook his head. They had been able to deflect all of them, most even without any bloodletting on their part. But he would always remember the two weeks they kept nursing Jack back from the brink of death after he got poisoned in Tortuga. It had been a very close call, and one he didn't care to repeat. Looking at his young captain, he suddenly noticed the man did not have a drink with him and he wondered whether that was effect of the kraken, as he had assumed till then, or an attempt to avoid dangerous situations. Looking down at his own mug, he found he was suddenly not very thirsty.

Jack watched as the older man put his drink to the side and knew what he was thinking about. The time he had been poisoned was blurry in his mind, but still fresh enough for him to be a bit paranoid when it came to drinks, especially in a potentially hostile place.

"So, they are after you again? I thought we got rid of them the last time."

Jack shook his head. "I don't think you can get rid of such a large organization, and there will always be people who do not have the guts to face me themselves and will pay for someone to try and do away with me."

Gibbs nodded. "Yes, but your price must be extremely high right now, after all you've killed quite a few of their men."

The Captain laughed softly. "Indeed. Either way, it seems I'm not the main target this time. Barbossa has hired them to kill the keeper."

His first mate's eyes grew. "He is insane. The Keeper is even harder to kill than you!"

Jack leaned back against his chair, a frown on his face. His first reaction had been the same, but on careful thought, he was not so sure anymore. His father's men were spread thin, trying to keep order around the cove, leaving him in an unusual vulnerable position. His reputation alone was enough to keep most pirates away, but Jack was convinced that would not work with the Black Thorne. No, Jack could himself think of a few ways to ambush his father, and even though he knew the man and the place much better, these were professional assassins they were talking about. And the reputation they would get from killing the Keeper would entice them just as much as the diamonds Barbossa had given them.

"It's not as impossible as you may think. But that's not why I wanted to talk with you about. I'll make sure my father is safe, but I need someone to watch my back. Just because Barbossa didn't specifically want me dead does not mean the Black Thorne will not be after me. It's equally likely other pirates have hired them to kill me."

Gibbs nodded in agreement. "I can try to collect some men."

Jack shook his head. "Too dangerous. I want you to get in touch with Pintel. Explain the situation to him and ask him to discreetly gather a few of his old friends and send them out to help patrol the streets, I need to get back as many of my father's guards as possible."

The Pearl's first mate frowned. "You trust him?"

The younger man snorted. "Not as far as I can throw him. But he is loyal to my father, and I assume he will want to help protect him. Either way, once you have spoken with him, I want you to gather your things and move to the "Drunk duck" it's closer to the main part of the coven. Keep an ear out for any information you can gather."

Gibbs nodded, but he still seemed worried. "What about you, Jack? You should have some kind of protection."

The younger man stood up, a small smile etched on his face. "I'm going to pay a visit to William. It may be time to relocate him and his fair lady."

And with those last words, Jack left the tavern and headed out to the inn he knew his young friend was staying at. It was getting very late, and he knew his father would probably be worried about him, so he stopped a young boy and sent him to his father with a message telling him he would be late for dinner. Jack watched as the boy hurried away and shook his head at himself. It was a bit ridiculous that he had to justify his every move to the older man, but he knew that Teague would go out to search for him if he grew worried enough and that was something he could not afford right now. It would leave him in a vulnerable position and without knowing the danger he was in.

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters_

**Chapter 9**

Jack watched from the shadows as William and Elizabeth listened raptly to old Mittard. The older man had once been a fearsome pirate Captain, one of the few that had terrorized the Caribbean and grown old to tell the tale. Incidentally he had also been a close friend of Bill Turner and the one that had introduced him to piracy and by extension to Jack. He had not thought that the old man would still be alive, he had already seemed old when Jack and Bill first met, now he was positively ancient. But while his body looked his age, his eyes were still alive, dancing at the remembrance of days long past. The Captain of the Pearl had been listening to the story on how Bill became a pirate with a small smile on his face. He well remembered the old tale, though his friend had told him in confidence that very little of it was true, it was still something young William would appreciate.

"And that is how Bootstrap Bill Turner became a pirate on board of the Amarinta. He sailed with me for several years until he met Jack Sparrow. They hit it off immediately, and he soon left to take the place of first mate on the Black Pearl. You remember that Jackie?"

The two young people jumped at the question and quickly turned around. Jack stepped forward slightly so that they could see him. "How could I forget? You were quite reluctant to part with him, but once Bill got something in his head it was nearly impossible to dissuade him."

The older pirate laughed. "Unless you had Marie on your side."

William blinked. "You also knew my mother?"

Mittard nodded. "Of course lad, Marie grew up here in the cove, she was a fine lass, the daughter of Captain Delanir. But when the old Captain died, her mother didn't want to remain here and with the keeper's help she moved with her daughter to London. I introduced her to Bill one of the times we were in London. They fell in love quickly and got married soon after. Bill gave up pirating for a while, but the call of the sea was strong and Marie knew pirates well enough to know that Bill would go back to the sea sooner or later."

William sighed. "So she did know he was a pirate. I had always assumed he lied to her."

Mittard chuckled. "Bill loved Marie too much to lie to her, she knew perfectly well what he was up to at all times."

"Did she know my father had died?"

Mittard grew serious and looked up to the other Captain, who had remained silent the whole time. "I believe Jackie here went to tell her."

William turned once again to Jack. "You did? Despite my father's betrayal?"

Jack sighed and joined the other three at the table. He should have known this conversation would pop up at some point. "Bill Turner was a good man, and a good pirate. He did what he had to do. He could not have saved me, the whole crew was in the mutiny, the only thing Bill could have done is to die with me. I was the one that told him to keep his mouth shut and save himself, he had you and your mother to think of, and I would not have him risk his hide on a lost cause. I was furious when I heard what Bill had done, despite my very insistent instructions that he kept out of it. I also knew Marie quite well, and I felt it was my duty to inform her of what had happened to her husband."

"That must have been shortly before she died."

Jack rubbed his eyes. "Aye, she was already ill and the doctors had told her she would not survive the winter. I tried to convince her to come with me; she had nothing left in London. But Marie was stubborn. She didn't want to leave her house. In the end she made me promise to come back for you and to take you back here." He glared slightly at his young friend. "But when I got back to London she was dead and you had disappeared. You sent me on a bloody chase, trying to find out where you had gone to. It took me nearly two years to find you in Port Royal."

William looked startled at that, at the time he had not known that his mother had made any provisions for him. His neighbors had tried to keep him in their house, but he had been desperate to leave. "I'm sorry, I didn't know, my mother never told me. The Keenans, our neighbors, tried to get me to stay with them for a while, but I didn't want to be a charity case for them."

Jack glared darkly at his friend. "Considering the amount of money I gave them to keep you safe until I got there, you would have been anything but a charity case." Seeing the distress and honest surprise in William's face, Jack rubbed his brow and sighed. "It does not matter anymore."

"I'm sorry Jack, I really never knew."

The Pirate of the Pearl waved. "It's ok lad, your mother should have told you what to do. In the end nothing bad happened." He looked faintly amused. "Though I cannot imagine what your pirate family would have said about you being an honest blacksmith."

William looked curious. "You said you found me in Port Royal about two years after my mother died, but we never met until two years ago. Why?"

Jack leaned back into his chair. "You seemed happy enough there. Before I became too well know I used to come to Port Royal once or twice a year to see how you were doing. To take you away from everything you knew then seemed cruel and unnecessary. I could not really have given you a better life at that point in time."

William frowned. "You could have given me the choice."

The Captain of the Pearl rolled his eyes. "Do I need to remind you the aversion you had to Pirates, lad?"

The younger man grumbled slightly but had to concede the point. There was no way he would have gone with a Pirate back then. Mittard, who had been silent during the last part of the conversation, stretched and stood up.

"I'm going home. My old bones need their rest. Are you coming back to the main part of the cove, Jackie?"

Jack shook his head slightly. "Not yet, I'll see you around, Captain."

Mittard chuckled, putting his hat on top of his grey hair. "Give my regards to your father lad. It was good seeing you again Keeper's heir."

Jack smiled slightly. "You as well."

The Captain of the Pearl turned to his two young friends, his attention turning to Elisabeth for the first time since he had arrived. She looked a bit better than the last time he had seen her, though there were still shadows under her eyes. "You look like hell, lass."

His tone was neutral, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes. Elisabeth pressed her lips together. "Nightmares."

She didn't need to explain exactly what was disturbing her sleep, all three of them were aware of it. Jack considered commenting on it, but finally decided this was not the right place, nor the right moment. Instead he just nodded and turned to Will. "A situation has arisen, I would appreciate it if you could gather your things and come with me. I'll give you a room close to my own apartment."

Will frowned. "Has your father found out?"

Jack looked a bit startled at that. "No, no, nothing of the sort. If that was the case I would be telling you to get the hell away from here, not to come closer to the keeper's rooms."

"What is it then?"

"I need a second pair of eyes to help me watch my back. I hoped you and Elisabeth would be willing to spend some time with me just in case something goes wrong."

The woman looked hopefully at the Captain, maybe this would be the chance to redeem herself. "We'll help in any way we can, Jack."

The Captain looked at her for a moment and then sighed. "I think it's better I tell you everything before you make a decision. I do not want there to be any miscommunication this time. Maybe this way no one will get hurt." At their startled looks, he chuckled a bit bitterly. "Even I can learn from my mistakes."

About an hour later, Jack led his two friends to an old set of rooms. He opened the door with a rusty key and the three of them entered. William and Elisabeth looked around at the dusty place, the dancing light of the lanterns they were carrying only showed some covered lumps that were probably furniture.

"Sorry about the dirt, I'll have someone come tomorrow to clean it up." He pointed to two doors located at the far end of the room. "You have a lavatory over there and a sleeping room. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning for breakfast. We usually take it all together in one of the main rooms."

* * *

He left his two young friends to get settled. He was feeling exhausted, but he still needed to do a last stop. Instead of going to his rooms, he went to his father's office. The guard standing at the door nodded to him. "Is my father still up?"

"Aye, he told me to let you in when you arrived."

Jack rolled his eyes, trust his father to know something was up. "Thank you."

Teague looked up from his office table as Jack entered his study. Dropping the pen he had been using to write, he leaned back and regarded his son. "What on earth is going on?"

Jack raised an eyebrow and sank into a chair in front of his father's desk. "What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Jackie, you sent me a message telling me you would be late. You have never done this before, which makes me think you're either up to something or something has happened. So, out with it."

His son shook his head, but his small smile didn't last long. In short sentences he told his father what he had overheard. Teague's face grew stormy. When his son's words faded, he stood up and started pacing the office. "I should have killed the slimy bastard as soon as he arrived."

Jack shrugged. "We need him for the Court."

"Sod the court! I'm sure I can get someone to take over the place of the Caspian Lord. This place is crawling with Pirates!"

"Either way, it will not help us now. We must focus on what is important. The Black Thorne is dangerous father."

"Maybe, but I will not leave this up to chance anymore." Teague stalked to the door and told the guard to do search for his first mate. Five minutes later Victor had been sent to the Pearl with a few men in order to detain Barbossa and have him locked up in the deep cells of the cove. Once they were alone again, Teague sat back down behind his desk.

"So, the Black Thorne, I've not heard much about them."

Jack nodded. "I'm not surprised, the organization started about a decade ago, but it's not till the last two or three years that they got really powerful. They are basically assassins. They use any method at their disposal to fulfill their missions. They are ruthless and will not stop at anything."

"Will they stop if Barbossa is out of the way?"

Jack shrugged. "Killing you is not only related to Barbossa. The effect your death would have on their reputation alone would ensure that they go through with it. On top of it, we cannot be sure Barbossa is the only one that has paid them for the same mission."

"Nor can we know I'm the only objective. You could be an objective just as easily."

Jack glanced pensively to the darkened window. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Teague's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

Jack turned his eyes to his father. "I'm not sure who I annoyed but about three years ago, a merchant tried to kill me. I was lucky that time as some mates of mine were there to prevent anything from happening. We got the bastard to speak before disposing for him. It seemed someone had paid the Black Thorne some good money to get rid of me. I never managed to find out who had paid them, but after that there came at least four more attempts. The last one was about a year ago."

"How close have they come to really kill you?"

Jack looked at his father's clenched fists and shook his head. "Too close for my liking. Last time I barely survived. I was poisoned in Tortuga. I was lucky Mr. Cotton has had some medical training and was able to purge most of the poison, but it was touch and go for nearly two weeks."

"And they have not tried anything during the last year?"

Jack's face became a blank mask. He was not about to tell his father he had essentially been dead for a large part of the last year. "Not as far as I'm aware."

Teague frowned, he had noticed the subtle shift in his son's demeanor and it puzzled him. It seemed they had once again stumbled on whatever Jack was keeping a secret. It was really starting to annoy him. He longed to shake his son and get whatever had happened out of him, but he knew that if he pressed the matter he would never get to the bottom of everything. So, he focused on the matter at hand.

"So, we have a group of assassins that wants to kill me and possibly you. Do you think they have a chance?"

"You have told me often enough that your men are stretched too thin. Under normal circumstances they would have a real hard time to get to you. Now though, I can easily think of five or six ways to kill you, and I'm not a professional assassin."

Teague snorted. "Should it worry me that you're thinking up ways to kill me?"

Jack laughed softly. "It's in my best interest to keep you alive father, I have no wish to take over the position of keeper. I don't see myself surrounded all the time by musty old books, and trying to solve the problems of a bunch of incompetent pirates."

Teague smiled blandly. "It's not that bad, and it has its perks. But either way, you're right, I don' t see you taking my place anytime soon. So, what do you propose?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would want to organize everything yourself."

The older Captain waved a hand, leaning back in his chair. "I have certainly some ideas, but you have more experience with them. I'm not saying I'll do whatever you decide."

The younger Captain nodded. "Well, taking on more people for your own protection is too dangerous. Anyone can be part of the Black Thorne, merchants, fishers, artisans, whores, anyone. I've sent a message to Pintel, you remember him?"

Teague nodded. "He's a member of your crew now."

Jack glanced at him, a sardonic smirk playing on his lips as he wondered whether he should correct the man. He would not describe Pintel as a member of his crew. Either way, he needed the older man alive and useful, which he wouldn't be if Teague found out he had been involved in the mutiny. "Yes, more or less. Anyway, I've asked him to gather some friends. They can take over the patrolling of the cove so that you can have back some of your most trusted men. I'm sure you can arrange them in such a way you're protected at all times."

Teague nodded in acceptance. It was after all not the first time he had faced assassination attempts. "What about you. Will you need body guards? After all, you have acquired a tendency to wander around alone."

Jack shook his head. "I have it covered. What worries me more is how to flush the Black Thorne out. We cannot have them here, father, they are too dangerous to allow them to get used to this place."

The older man nodded, but stood up. "We'll have to think on this. I'll try to get some information on them, for now it's better if we retire. It's very late and tomorrow will arrive soon enough."

Jack nodded. He was feeling exhausted, but it was unlikely he would sleep that night. The two men got to their rooms without mishap. Twenty minutes later Jack had settled down in his father's living room. All lights doused and a pistol in his hand. He had not said anything to his father, but if he was an assassin he would attempt to finish off the work as soon as possible. After all, there was less time for your victim to get wind on what was going on if there was virtually none. The only way into his father's room was through the door, so he settled in the shadows to wait.

_To be continued…_


End file.
